Paris called. It wants its wine list back.
Newbury Street · Boston · French Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed March 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed La Voile’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Voile reads like someone raided a Champagne house's library and said, fine, we'll add a few whites too. It's unapologetically French, unapologetically Champagne-forward, and makes zero apologies for the prices. You know exactly where you are before you order a thing.
France is the beginning, middle, and end of this list — Champagne, Alsace, Bourgogne, Loire, and not much else. The Champagne selection is genuinely serious: a 1976 Lanson magnum, a 2002 Bollinger RD, a 2008 Pol Roger Winston Churchill. These aren't celebrity vanity bottles, they're real aged prestige cuvées from houses that earned their names. Outside Champagne, you get touches of legitimacy — Henri Bourgeois Sancerre in magnum, a Maison Willm Grand Cru Alsace — but the list narrows quickly. If you came looking for Rhône, Bordeaux, or anything from the New World, you'll be redirected.
Ten options by the glass is a reasonable pour count for a room this size, though the list leans predictably toward French classics. We'd love to see more rotation and a grower Champagne or two making an appearance. What's here is competently chosen; it just doesn't swing as hard as the bottle list does.
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre 'La Bourgeoise' 2014 (Magnum) — $155
A magnum of serious, aged Sancerre from one of the Loire's best producers at a price that doesn't make you wince. Split it across the table and feel like you made a smart decision.
Maison Willm 'Grand Cru Kirchberg de Barr' Alsace 2015
Everyone's eyeing the Champagne menu, and this bottle gets ignored. That's a mistake. Grand Cru Alsace at a French bistro is exactly the kind of thing worth ordering — textured, specific, food-driven, and almost nobody at the table will see it coming.
Lanson 'Vintage Collection' Brut 1976 (Magnum)
Look, it's a 1976 Champagne magnum and it's probably extraordinary. But at $1,300 with no context about provenance or storage history on the menu, you're taking a significant blind faith leap. Unless this is a celebration with serious budget, the risk-to-reward math doesn't work.
Laurent Perrier 'Ultra Brut' NV + Moules Marinières
Zero dosage Champagne against a briny, butter-and-white-wine broth is one of those combinations that just makes sense. The Ultra Brut's austerity cuts right through the richness without stepping on the ocean-fresh character of the mussels.
The Bottom Line
La Voile is for the person who already knows they want Champagne and wants to feel like they're on the Île Saint-Louis while they drink it. The markup stings and the list doesn't venture far from France's greatest hits, but what it does, it does with real conviction.
· Boston · Steakhouse
The Palm Boston's wine list reads like someone handed a natural wine buyer a steakhouse budget and said 'do something interesting' — and they did, with six well-chosen bottles at prices that won't wreck your evening. It's too small to call it a destination for wine, but it's too good to ignore if you're already here for dinner. Ask about what's available by the glass and go straight for the Crochet Sancerre.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Seaport · Boston · Upscale American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a reliable date-night or business-dinner destination in the Seaport, and the wine program is functional enough to get the job done — but markup at this category of steakhouse tends to run steep, and the list probably isn't going to surprise you. If you're here for the Prime ribeye, order a glass of whatever Cab is open and don't overthink it; if you're here specifically to drink well, we'd want to see the actual list before making promises.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary American with International Influences
Ramsay's Kitchen is a reliable wine stop in the sense that you won't be embarrassed — the sommelier is there, the glassware is fine, and the list covers the bases. But at Back Bay price points with a celebrity premium baked in, you're paying for the room as much as the bottle. Go in with a food-first mindset, lean on the sommelier for guidance, and temper expectations on getting a steal.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North End · Boston · Italian, Steakhouse
A broad list with 29 glass pours, Italian and American bottle sections, and a From the Vault section that goes well into four figures. Start with the 2021 Mauro Molino Barolo at $26 a glass or the Batasiolo Gavi di Gavi at $15, and confirm vintages, since the list says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Seafood
A 12-page wine book that runs from $12 glasses to a $945 Opus One, with six- and nine-ounce pours for the still wines by the glass. Start with the $12 six-ounce Foral Alvarinho, or order the $59 Sur Lie Muscadet by the bottle, and confirm vintages before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary Italian
An Italian-led list with bottles into the thousands and a glass page that gives you a way in. Order the $33 Giacosa Fratelli Barolo 2019 by the glass, or step up to a Coravin pour like the $54 Patrizia Cencioni Brunello di Montalcino 2018, and confirm prices before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Hillcrest · San Diego · French Bistro
A French-leaning list where every glass shows its pour size, with sparkling starting at $19 and still wines at $16. Order the Crémant de Bordeaux at $19 a glass, or the Biéville Chablis with the Moules Marinières, and confirm vintages and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
Wynwood · Miami · French Bistro
An all-French list with a wide posted spread, from a 45 rosé in 375ML to a 15,450 Romanée-Conti, plus a short glass-and-carafe list for a regular dinner. Start with the 15 Le Gouleyant Malbec by the glass, or the Chinon at 70 if you want a bottle, and confirm current prices and sizes since no currency symbol or bottle size is printed on the wine list. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Lincoln Park · Chicago · French Bistro
Start with the $13 Maison les Alexandrins Syrah by the glass, or pour the Gustave Lorentz Gewurztraminer with the roast chicken at $16 a glass or $64 a bottle. Bottle prices on the wine list carry no unit label, so check them against the Btl column on the glass list, and confirm availability. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or retail markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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